Too much of a good thing
Since the beginning of January, I’ve done all sorts of fun things. My dad and Jane were visiting, so we hit up some of our favorite restaurants in Santiago. We also took my first international trip of the year and spent a weekend in Mendoza, Argentina. We visited vineyards, ate well and generally lazed around in the sunshiney countryside. Lovely.
But I feel like a broken record when friends ask me what I’ve been up to lately. Food. Wine. Good company. Repeat. Throw in a little exercise in the form of Crossfit and summer league soccer, and you’ve got my past 3 weeks.
There has also been some work. That too is great – still loving the new job – but a little awkward to talk about. There are only so many ways you can phrase “I have to go to Buenos Aires next week, but I’m not sure yet when exactly, and I need to go to Russia next month but am waiting for the dates to be confirmed” without sounding like you live in an alternate universe. I promise, I know how ridiculous it sounds that I can’t make lunch plans because I might have to hop on a plane any day!
I know how ridiculous all of this sounds, in fact. My biggest problem in life is that fabulous things have become too commonplace! Well no, my biggest problem in life is contemplating 24 hours of travel home from Russia with a stop in GRU. If you have ever had the pleasure of laying over in Sao Paulo, you know this is a legit problem and not something I made up to sound all fancy. It was also -61 degrees Fahrenheit today in Russia. Even if I’m not going to that particularly freezing part of Siberia, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be damn cold.
But before I win some award for “best blog written with her nose after her fingers fell off due to frostbite” I’ll share those stories from Mendoza. Even if it’s repetitive, there’s nothing wrong with an extra dose of summer perfection.
Great to hear you had a great time with your dad and Jane and enjoying the weather in Argentina and Chile.
It is -42F in Montreal tonight so pretty close to what Russia is experiencing. A quick suggestion: make sure to wear a lot of layers of clothes, no cotton if possible (it keeps moisture close to your body) and a good parka…if you don’t have one, I am sure you’ll get quite a collection to chose from when you’ll go shopping in Russia
As for GRU, it is not getting better with time unfortunately!
Emily, instead of going through GRU, perhaps you could fly with Air France to Paris and then Russia? Just a thought. Have a great day
BA is even better! Enjoy your trip and can’t wait to hear more about your Mendoza trip.
I will definitely be wearing layers! As far as the routes go, I appreciate the help, but I have to coordinate a multi-city trip, and looking at schedule and price the BA itinerary on the way home seems to work the best for me. Iberia with a stop in MAD is my other option, so we’ll see what I end up on!
Can’t wait for the Mendoza posts!!! I wish I could go to Russia with you.
I wish you could too!
Yay, Mendoza! That’s Ruca Malen in the first pic, isn’t it? Looking forward to these posts =)
It most definitely is. Our lunch there was a highlight, more to come.
I’m jealous, but I also know what you mean in a lot of ways
I’m sure that you of all people can relate!
Emily,
Just stopping by to leave you a big THANK YOU for your blog. I found your blog when I was planning a trip to Santiago, and your recommendations (specially for restaurants) were fantastic! We just got back from our trip and we had an amazing time – and amazing meals. What a fabulous city to visit – and I cannot wait to go back and explore other areas of Chile that we didn’t have time for. Please keep on writing!
Sandra, thank you so much for your comment – made my day! I’m glad I could help you enjoy your trip so much. Hope you’re able to come back soon.
I empathize with the GRU layover, Emily. It always seems my connections there are 8-16 hours, and it is one of the most charmless international airports I’ve ever seen. Hope they make some major improvements before the Olympics. Plus for US citizens, even with a cédula of residency from a Mercosur or Unasur country, you still need a visa to exit the transit section. So it’s quite the awful layover. But you are right, the fares are often very good connecting through there.
Good luck and safe travels!
Oh no, needing a visa makes it extra nightmare-y, as does such a long wait! I shall stop complaining about a couple hours and instead sit here being thankful for my British passport.
Let’s hang when your life schedule is back to normal! Whenever that will be, haha! Shoot me an email if you’re up for lunch next week or the week after once you know if you’ll be around
Based on my bosses’ schedules, I think this IS normal for me now. There are definitely worse problems to have.